China said on Thursday that it "would not be appropriate" to discuss Pakistan's counter-terrorism record and the concerns of countries like India, at the September 3 BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

With Pakistan's record in the spotlight after US President Donald Trump said last week that Washington "would no longer be silent" about Pakistan providing "safe havens" for terrorists, its "all-weather" ally Beijing has mounted a strong defence.

Terrorism is one of the key issues in focus at the Xiamen Summit, along with cyber security, besides economic issues. But days ahead of the summit, Beijing made clear that it would not support any discussions that highlighted concerns on Pakistan's track record.

"Pakistan is at the forefront of counterterror efforts and has made sacrifices for this. The international community should recognise the contributions and sacrifices made by Pakistan," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

"China is willing to work with Pakistan and other countries to enhance our cooperation in counter-terrorism. This serves the common interest of all parties," Hua added. "We also noticed that India when it comes to Pakistan's counterterrorism has some concerns. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at the BRICS summit."

Hua said that "the world is paying great attention to the BRICS Summit" and that China "hopes relevant parties can work with China to ensure the success of the summit and make due contributions."